Harold and Maude is on TV right now, and even though I'm in the next room, it makes me happy just to know it is there.
So it's not Sunday, but for some reason lately my Sundays have been too busy for blogging. Imagine that! I'm just catching up as catch can. And what the eff does that phrase mean anyway?
I mentioned in my last post about my move to Belhaven. Wahoo! It's official! I paid a large sum of money to make it so. And now the cleaning/packing begins. Reinforcing my decision to leave, I come home often to the sound of my neighbor's really loud music. Her speakers must be right on the other side of my wall, so I can hear every beat and basically every word the singer or rapper is saying. Since I figured out how to rig up my Ipod to play in the house, I have been launching a Battle of the Loud Music whenever I can. They blast "party blues"* and bad hip hop/R&B**, I hit them with the Pixies and the Beastie Boys' "The Maestro." But then Feist comes along and totally crashes the party. Eh, I've got a little more than 30 days!
*I tried to find a link to a definition for you, but it is elusive. If you've ever heard "Strokin'" by Clarence Carter, this is a prime example of "party blues." Party blues is not really blues-y in the traditional sense of the word, and it is almost always, ALWAYS, about sex. There is a local radio station that used to play this type of music at 7 in the morning. Never was there more of a hilarious way to wake up!
**I have nothing at all against hip hop and R&B, but I am picky about what I listen to in that genre. My all-time, top five favorite hip hop artists are: 1. Tribe Called Quest 2. Digital Underground 3. Biggie Smalls 4. Common 5. (obviously) The Beastie Boys. Yes most of that is old school, but I have not found a lot these days to match the music I grew up with. With the exception of Common, he rocks!
I ran two 5Ks in the last two weeks, and got a "PR" which is "personal record" in the first one! I ran about an 11:27 mile, which is ca-razy because I thought I was still shuffling along at 13:00+ per mile. I don't know how it happened, but I am not complaining! YAY progress! I did have to walk a little both weekends, but I ran more than I walked, and it is slowly but surely getting easier. My clothes are also fitting better, but I still haven't really lost any weight. I am going to just keep on keeping on, but I really hope to see some results in another month or so. I realized recently that I've only been back at it for a couple of months. My friend K. said it took her about 6 months to really start dropping the pounds, so that makes me feel better!
I've been reading my friend QB's zine, "Letters to Mr. Konigsberg," and I have to say that I am really enjoying it so far! If you are a Woody Allen fan, and even if you aren't, you should get a copy. I've only seen Annie Hall (and I love it), but I still get a lot of what QB is saying. I also realize two things about my friend:
1. He is way smarter than me. But I already knew that.
2. He uses the "F" word a lot more on paper than he does in real life. Unless he's just being polite around me! Ha!
I am lucky enough to be part of QB and my friend Anna's wedding the weekend after Turkey Day, and I am really looking forward to it. There was a time in my life, not-so-long-ago, that I was going to kill someone if I had to be in another wedding. But now that some time has passed, I am really looking forward to this, if nothing else because my dress and my shoes are FABULOUS and I spent very little money on the outfit. Plus QB and Anna are one of my fave couples of all time!
Lastly, and I have to get to bed after this, but I would totally read the book in the #1 spot at the bottom of this page.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Re-normalizing
So this past weekend was our biggest fundraising event for work. Starting, oh, about last Tuesday, we (meaning the three people in our office including me) began the huge task of lifting a lot of boxes, stuffing goody bags and registration packets, picking up large vehicles, picking up loads of groceries and supplies, and general running around. By the end of the weekend, I was so tired and delirious that nothing but sleep would satisfy me. But it really was worth it. The event is a huge bike tour (as in bicycles), and it is a lot of fun in spite of the work. I get to meet a lot of people, mostly professionals, that I might not otherwise get to meet, and some riders of the male persuasion don't even look half-bad in all that spandex.
Having said that, I have come to the conclusion that, at least for now, cycling is too expensive and complicated a sport for me. I love to ride bikes and I think I could get into it if I really tried, but for now I'll stick with running. All you need to run is a good pair of shoes and decent clothing. Oh and I can't run without my Ipod, but that's about it. Bicycles are expensive and so is the maintenance, not to mention all the fancy clothing and safety gear. I do want to get a hybrid bike for tooling around town though. There is a new group that has just formed - Jackson Bike Advocates - I am on their mailing list even though I do not own a bike right now. I am all for bike safety, bike lanes and more bike-friendliness all around. I am hoping that I will be able to bike to the grocery store and other local necessities when I move to Belhaven.
Oh yeah, did I mention I am moving to Belhaven?
It's been in the works for a while, and it just so happens a good friend of mine is moving out of her cute little place in December, which worked out great for me time-wise. So by Christmas I should be in my new home. It is right where I want to be in Belhaven, very close to where many of my friends live, and it has a screened porch!! That is the biggest draw to me. I can't wait to sit out on my porch with Sally and watch the neighbors go by, or just enjoy the fresh air. I won't know what to do with myself!
It will also be really nice to have a place I don't mind inviting people over to. Where I live now is so tiny and pretty ghetto - I am just about embarrassed to have people over here anymore because the neighborhood seems to be getting worse and worse. It's time for me to move on up, anyway. I have lived in tiny apartments for 6 years, and while the new place is not gargantuan, it is more spacious and definitely in a more desirable location. I will finally be able to call myself a Jacksonian for real!! I'm not thrilled to think about the car tag prices and such, but otherwise I'm ecstatic. I forsee a big house party after the first of the year!
Random interruption: there is a person that I come in contact with on a regular basis who looks just like Granny Squid from Squidbillies:
"How is it that a person can look like a squid?" you might ask. Well I have no idea, but she does. It took me a while to figure it out, but she is the spitting image of that elderly squid.
I am doing another 5K this weekend, and I hope my performance will be a tad bit better than the last one I ran! The weather is looking a lot cooler (but really, anything is cooler than 100), and although I am not quite running 3 miles comfortably yet, I am prepared for the walk breaks and just hope to finish with a tiny shred of dignity stuck to my shoe. Next weekend I am walking another 5K with Sally - this one is for ARF so I really wanted to bring the doggie out to play. After that I am taking a break from races for a bit to continue training. I wanted to do the St. Jude 5K in Memphis, but it is the same weekend that I will be moving, so I don't know that I can do both at the same time and still keep my sanity. It makes me sad because some of my friends that I have not seen in a long time were going to do it and it would be a chance to hang out with them. But I just don't see any other way to make it all happen.
Other than my apparent new obsession with running and work stuff, there isn't much time for anything else in my life. The BF gets his first paycheck soon and he's taking me to eat massive amounts of sushi, and I can't wait. The fair is in town and I hope to get my fill of greasy food by the end of this week, rain be damned. And I still have no idea what I will do for Halloween or what I will be, but I hope to spend at least part of it with my niece, as I have done the past couple of years. This year she will actually be able to walk around and get her own loot!
That's about it. I'm going to go try to catch up on my sleep, and hopefully it will stop feeling like midnight all the time in a few more days.
Having said that, I have come to the conclusion that, at least for now, cycling is too expensive and complicated a sport for me. I love to ride bikes and I think I could get into it if I really tried, but for now I'll stick with running. All you need to run is a good pair of shoes and decent clothing. Oh and I can't run without my Ipod, but that's about it. Bicycles are expensive and so is the maintenance, not to mention all the fancy clothing and safety gear. I do want to get a hybrid bike for tooling around town though. There is a new group that has just formed - Jackson Bike Advocates - I am on their mailing list even though I do not own a bike right now. I am all for bike safety, bike lanes and more bike-friendliness all around. I am hoping that I will be able to bike to the grocery store and other local necessities when I move to Belhaven.
Oh yeah, did I mention I am moving to Belhaven?
It's been in the works for a while, and it just so happens a good friend of mine is moving out of her cute little place in December, which worked out great for me time-wise. So by Christmas I should be in my new home. It is right where I want to be in Belhaven, very close to where many of my friends live, and it has a screened porch!! That is the biggest draw to me. I can't wait to sit out on my porch with Sally and watch the neighbors go by, or just enjoy the fresh air. I won't know what to do with myself!
It will also be really nice to have a place I don't mind inviting people over to. Where I live now is so tiny and pretty ghetto - I am just about embarrassed to have people over here anymore because the neighborhood seems to be getting worse and worse. It's time for me to move on up, anyway. I have lived in tiny apartments for 6 years, and while the new place is not gargantuan, it is more spacious and definitely in a more desirable location. I will finally be able to call myself a Jacksonian for real!! I'm not thrilled to think about the car tag prices and such, but otherwise I'm ecstatic. I forsee a big house party after the first of the year!
Random interruption: there is a person that I come in contact with on a regular basis who looks just like Granny Squid from Squidbillies:
"How is it that a person can look like a squid?" you might ask. Well I have no idea, but she does. It took me a while to figure it out, but she is the spitting image of that elderly squid.
I am doing another 5K this weekend, and I hope my performance will be a tad bit better than the last one I ran! The weather is looking a lot cooler (but really, anything is cooler than 100), and although I am not quite running 3 miles comfortably yet, I am prepared for the walk breaks and just hope to finish with a tiny shred of dignity stuck to my shoe. Next weekend I am walking another 5K with Sally - this one is for ARF so I really wanted to bring the doggie out to play. After that I am taking a break from races for a bit to continue training. I wanted to do the St. Jude 5K in Memphis, but it is the same weekend that I will be moving, so I don't know that I can do both at the same time and still keep my sanity. It makes me sad because some of my friends that I have not seen in a long time were going to do it and it would be a chance to hang out with them. But I just don't see any other way to make it all happen.
Other than my apparent new obsession with running and work stuff, there isn't much time for anything else in my life. The BF gets his first paycheck soon and he's taking me to eat massive amounts of sushi, and I can't wait. The fair is in town and I hope to get my fill of greasy food by the end of this week, rain be damned. And I still have no idea what I will do for Halloween or what I will be, but I hope to spend at least part of it with my niece, as I have done the past couple of years. This year she will actually be able to walk around and get her own loot!
That's about it. I'm going to go try to catch up on my sleep, and hopefully it will stop feeling like midnight all the time in a few more days.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Update Continued...
Before I go on to #3, I didn't mention this previously so I just want to let it be known: while I am still overweight, I would like everyone to know that my clothes ARE fitting better. That is all.
3. Chick Ball
I have helped with this event for the last three years now, and this year was probably the biggest ever. I think all told by the end we raised about $18K for the Center for Violence Prevention, which is great. They will use the funds to start a batterer's intervention program, which is a novel idea and a great idea if you ask me. This year, I played with a couple of my friends, Tara Blumenthal and Laurel Isbister, as The Paper Dolls. We played two years ago as The Mary Anns, but this year decided to change our names. I played guitar and sang, which was an accomplishment for me because I couldn't do both last time! Laurel played bass and sang, and Tara played drums and provided vocals on a couple of songs too. We just did covers this year, some Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Go-Gos, Cat Power, etc. and it was a lot of fun, but let me tell you, being a "rock star" is a lot of work! Sadly, the Paper Dolls have not been able to get together since the event, because we all have insane schedules. But I truly enjoyed playing live and would like to do it again if I get the chance.
4. A Day or Two at the Beach
So I have been needing some beach time for a while now, and so had my sister. Plus, my niece had never been to the beach before. We decided to take a trip, albeit a short one, this summer. My sister's husband is in Iraq and unfortunately had to miss the trip, but we tried to document it with both pictures and video so he could see it later. I tried to imagine what seeing the beach and the ocean for the first time must be like. My parents took me to the beach for the first time when I was about Scottlyn's age, so I don't really remember what I felt when I saw it. But seeing Scottlyn's reaction to it was enough. She was overjoyed! Of course we had built it up big time before we got there, but still, when we crested the dunes and saw the rolling waves for the first time, well, who needs Disney World is all I'm saying?
As you can see, my niece is tiny. Most two year olds are tiny, but she is really petite. Problem is, she doesn't know it. So we had to hold her the entire time we had her in the water, although she really wanted to explore it on her own.
We had a grand time, collecting seashells, studying a dead sea turtle that washed up on the shore ("I want to give it a hug," she said when I told her the sea turtle had died.), eating junk food to our hearts' content, and buying prettier seashells at the souvenir shop. It was a good time, but do not be fooled: a beach trip with a 2-year-old is unlike any beach trip I have ever been on since, well, at least my sister was 2. I packed David Sedaris book, knowing how quickly I breeze through his stuff I thought it would be perfect light beach reading. I only got through Chapter 1. Scottlyn is a wonderful, well-behaved and fun little girl, but at least at this age, she demands your attention 24-7. And that is ok, really, it was just a bit of an eye-opener for me. My last beach trip was with several college friends (post-college) and involved copious amounts of alcohol and cute outfits.
5. Everything else...
Besides all these things, we have gone through some major changes at work. To spare you the boring details, the main idea is that our chapter, which was once made up of 15 offices spread out around the country, has been split up and we are each joining up with our nearest geographical office that will eventually be included in a region. So some of our job titles are changing, and our structure has definitely changed. I love my job, something I haven't been able to say pretty much ever so far in my life, and one of the reasons was the great people I have had the privilege to work with over the last year or so.
One of the most influential people was my supervisor, Becky. When she called to offer me the job last April, I think she really was just as excited as I was. In talking to her through the interview process, she made me feel like I was definitely making the right decision joining this particular non-profit, and her enthusiasm and excitement about her work was contagious. I thought, "If she has been here for nearly 8 years and loves it, that can't be a bad thing." Becky turned out to be one of the best supervisors I have ever had. She was genuine from day one and so encouraging and respectful of me. She was someone that you did not want to disappoint, so I tried to do the best job I can for her.
This past Thursday, October 1, Becky passed away. She had been in a coma since Labor Day because of heart failure which was caused by malnourishment, which was caused somehow because she had gastric bypass surgery in August. I don't really want to go into the details here out of respect and the fact that I don't want to get upset again. But suffice to say it was a tragic loss for her family, her three little kids who I hope will always know what a wonderful woman their mother was, and of course to us who worked with her. I believe in God, and I do think everything happens for a reason, but sometimes I think things happen that even God wished didn't. I just don't think it was her time, but maybe He will prove me wrong. She was only 37, and her kids are 9, 5 and 3. It still doesn't seem real. I can't believe that I can't just call her up and talk to her anymore. It has truly been a sad month.
My office left our chapter the same day, October 1, and in some ways I am glad. It would not be the same anymore without her there, anyway. I know she would want me to just keep on doing the best job I can no matter what chapter we belong to, and in her memory I plan to do just that. We have a huge event coming up next weekend and I fully expect to be exhausted by the time it's over, but it will be worth it.
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The only other thing I'd like to mention right now which is actually a bit of GOOD news for a change, is that the BF FINALLY has a job!!! After lots of resume-sending, applications and interviews, he accepted a job with a local firm and starts officially this week. I am so proud of him, and I think he will do a great job. We plan on going out (after the first paycheck of course) to a nice dinner to celebrate really soon. It is high time!! I hope this is just the first of many good things to come for him and me.
And that's it. There's more, for sure, but I think you are up to speed now. I hope, seriously, to update this at least once a week. I'm cutting back a little on the writing-for-money this month because my day job is so busy, so hopefully that will help me find time for the blog. So... see you next Sunday?
3. Chick Ball
I have helped with this event for the last three years now, and this year was probably the biggest ever. I think all told by the end we raised about $18K for the Center for Violence Prevention, which is great. They will use the funds to start a batterer's intervention program, which is a novel idea and a great idea if you ask me. This year, I played with a couple of my friends, Tara Blumenthal and Laurel Isbister, as The Paper Dolls. We played two years ago as The Mary Anns, but this year decided to change our names. I played guitar and sang, which was an accomplishment for me because I couldn't do both last time! Laurel played bass and sang, and Tara played drums and provided vocals on a couple of songs too. We just did covers this year, some Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Go-Gos, Cat Power, etc. and it was a lot of fun, but let me tell you, being a "rock star" is a lot of work! Sadly, the Paper Dolls have not been able to get together since the event, because we all have insane schedules. But I truly enjoyed playing live and would like to do it again if I get the chance.
4. A Day or Two at the Beach
So I have been needing some beach time for a while now, and so had my sister. Plus, my niece had never been to the beach before. We decided to take a trip, albeit a short one, this summer. My sister's husband is in Iraq and unfortunately had to miss the trip, but we tried to document it with both pictures and video so he could see it later. I tried to imagine what seeing the beach and the ocean for the first time must be like. My parents took me to the beach for the first time when I was about Scottlyn's age, so I don't really remember what I felt when I saw it. But seeing Scottlyn's reaction to it was enough. She was overjoyed! Of course we had built it up big time before we got there, but still, when we crested the dunes and saw the rolling waves for the first time, well, who needs Disney World is all I'm saying?
As you can see, my niece is tiny. Most two year olds are tiny, but she is really petite. Problem is, she doesn't know it. So we had to hold her the entire time we had her in the water, although she really wanted to explore it on her own.
We had a grand time, collecting seashells, studying a dead sea turtle that washed up on the shore ("I want to give it a hug," she said when I told her the sea turtle had died.), eating junk food to our hearts' content, and buying prettier seashells at the souvenir shop. It was a good time, but do not be fooled: a beach trip with a 2-year-old is unlike any beach trip I have ever been on since, well, at least my sister was 2. I packed David Sedaris book, knowing how quickly I breeze through his stuff I thought it would be perfect light beach reading. I only got through Chapter 1. Scottlyn is a wonderful, well-behaved and fun little girl, but at least at this age, she demands your attention 24-7. And that is ok, really, it was just a bit of an eye-opener for me. My last beach trip was with several college friends (post-college) and involved copious amounts of alcohol and cute outfits.
5. Everything else...
Besides all these things, we have gone through some major changes at work. To spare you the boring details, the main idea is that our chapter, which was once made up of 15 offices spread out around the country, has been split up and we are each joining up with our nearest geographical office that will eventually be included in a region. So some of our job titles are changing, and our structure has definitely changed. I love my job, something I haven't been able to say pretty much ever so far in my life, and one of the reasons was the great people I have had the privilege to work with over the last year or so.
One of the most influential people was my supervisor, Becky. When she called to offer me the job last April, I think she really was just as excited as I was. In talking to her through the interview process, she made me feel like I was definitely making the right decision joining this particular non-profit, and her enthusiasm and excitement about her work was contagious. I thought, "If she has been here for nearly 8 years and loves it, that can't be a bad thing." Becky turned out to be one of the best supervisors I have ever had. She was genuine from day one and so encouraging and respectful of me. She was someone that you did not want to disappoint, so I tried to do the best job I can for her.
This past Thursday, October 1, Becky passed away. She had been in a coma since Labor Day because of heart failure which was caused by malnourishment, which was caused somehow because she had gastric bypass surgery in August. I don't really want to go into the details here out of respect and the fact that I don't want to get upset again. But suffice to say it was a tragic loss for her family, her three little kids who I hope will always know what a wonderful woman their mother was, and of course to us who worked with her. I believe in God, and I do think everything happens for a reason, but sometimes I think things happen that even God wished didn't. I just don't think it was her time, but maybe He will prove me wrong. She was only 37, and her kids are 9, 5 and 3. It still doesn't seem real. I can't believe that I can't just call her up and talk to her anymore. It has truly been a sad month.
My office left our chapter the same day, October 1, and in some ways I am glad. It would not be the same anymore without her there, anyway. I know she would want me to just keep on doing the best job I can no matter what chapter we belong to, and in her memory I plan to do just that. We have a huge event coming up next weekend and I fully expect to be exhausted by the time it's over, but it will be worth it.
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The only other thing I'd like to mention right now which is actually a bit of GOOD news for a change, is that the BF FINALLY has a job!!! After lots of resume-sending, applications and interviews, he accepted a job with a local firm and starts officially this week. I am so proud of him, and I think he will do a great job. We plan on going out (after the first paycheck of course) to a nice dinner to celebrate really soon. It is high time!! I hope this is just the first of many good things to come for him and me.
And that's it. There's more, for sure, but I think you are up to speed now. I hope, seriously, to update this at least once a week. I'm cutting back a little on the writing-for-money this month because my day job is so busy, so hopefully that will help me find time for the blog. So... see you next Sunday?
Big Fat Ass Blog Update
I told you it was coming. That is, if we have talked about my blog lately. Otherwise, SURPRISE SURPRISE!! I'm updating my blog.
I feel terrible for leaving you hanging back in June, but since then I suppose life has just gotten totally out of hand, plus I have had some writing-for-money to do, and that leaves very little time for writing-for-the-hell-of-it.
Since we last met, I have visited Portland, Oregon, ran my first 5K, played guitar and sang at the same time in front of people at Chick Ball, hurt myself, read many books, went to the beach with a 2 year old, experienced some major changes at work, including the loss of a dear friend. Here in order, are some highlights and not-so-great things from the 2nd half of my summer:
1. O Portland, my Portland
I am slowly making my way around the country to all the hip/big cities. So far I have been to Boston, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, NOLA, Dallas, Houston, Austin, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Denver, and San Diego. But adding Portland turns my list on its ear. Besides Austin, I’d say Portland is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever visited, and I’d go back in a heartbeat. My friend Leigh, who used to live here in Jacktown, moved to Portland about a year ago and had been begging me to come visit ever since. I combined this trip with my Vegas trip, so once our conference was done, I hopped a plane to Portland and was there in no time. The downside of the trip was that I had a cold that I think I got from the dry Vegas air, but otherwise we had a great time. We did have some rain the first full day I was there, which Leigh swore was uncommon by this time of year, but I was not so sure. I had purposely planned to visit in the summer so as to avoid the rainy season. But we just laughed it off and kept going.
We had been doing some shopping and had lunch at the Grilled Cheese Grill, which is a grilled cheese restaurant where you can eat your lunch on a converted school bus. It was sooo delicious, and so awesome. Portland is full of quirky restaurants and foodie havens, particularly little food carts all over the place and lots of organic, locally grown goodness. I had what might have been the best zucchini bread I’ve ever tasted at a coffee shop. And I bought some Dave’s Killer Bread at the farmer’s market on Saturday, which was really some of the best bread I’ve ever had. Leigh joked that her sister had the same remarks about the food in Portland, but it’s true – food just tastes better there. Sure, we have delicious food here in the South, too, but I didn’t eat anything bad while I was in P-town for sure.
Probably the most fun night was when we went to an open house for a new dance troupe that had just acquired a cool warehouse for their practice space. The troupe did some dancing for us and it reminded me of Cirque du Soleil – there was free booze at this event, and after several drinks we were allowed to try out some of the props that the dancers use. Probably not the best idea, but it was a great time! After that, we went to see Viva Voce at a place called the Wonder Ballroom, and they were fantastic. One of my new favorite bands for 2009. THEN, to top the whole night off, and because we were all pretty drunk, we stopped at Voo Doo Donuts for some of the yummiest treats I’ve ever had. I am still thinking about that chocolate-covered, raspberry-filled voodoo man.
Portland is beautiful and artsy, liberal and green – I could totally live there in another phase of my life. It was hard to come back to the Bible Belt, back to the 120-degree heat (we slept with the windows open every night during my visit), but while I was in Vegas and PDX, Jubilee JAM happened here, among other things, and I really missed home as I read everyone’s updates on Facebook. So ultimately, Mississippi is home, and while it’s easy to be yourself in Portland because it’s so accepting and embracing of different types of people, it’s also really hard to stand out. I expressed this thought to Leigh after being there for a couple of days – I realized that a “preppy” in an oxford shirt and khakis would probably stand out more than anyone else in Portland. Here in Jackson, we have breathing room for all of our weirdos, and I kind of like that.
2. Can't I just get a sticker that says, "3.2"?
So before I became a runner (which I still don't feel like I'm qualified to say), I kept seeing these "13.1" and "26.2" stickers on the back of people's vehicles and wondered WTF was up? Between the BF and I we finally figured out it was the length of half- and full marathons, and these were people who have completed one or many. Good for them! Seriously, now that I have started running I totally admire anyone who can run that long and not because a large animal is chasing them.
That being said, I don't know whether or not I will ever join their ranks. I ran my first 5K on June 27 of this year, at the Tomato Festival in my hometown of Crystal Springs. After kind of half-ass training with the Couch-to-5K program (I started out with C25K, then just sorta took off on my own until I was running 30 minutes or so straight.), I ran 3 miles a couple of times before the 5K, and I thought I was ready. But that first 5K totally kicked my ass. Not to make excuses, and yes I did finish and NO I was not the very last runner, but there were a few factors weighing against me. First, it was hot as hell, and that is no lie. We were experiencing a major heatwave, so that even at 8am it was already 90+ degrees with a heat index of a billion. Second, whoever designed the Tomato Fest route must be a glutton for punishment, or at least they like to watch other people suffer. The longest stretch of the route was uphill both ways (no lie) on black pavement in the broad sunlight. I thought I was going to stroke out. Third, I was recovering from my desert cold, and still had chest congestion, which did not help my breathing. And Fourth, because I had been sick and out of town and whatnot, I had not been able to train as much in the days leading up to the race.
So, wahh wahh poor me. At least I did it, and rather than give up on running all together, I decided to continue my training and not do any more races until the weather cooled off. I knew that WellsFest would be at the end of September, so I made that my goal.
Then, a couple weeks later, this happened:
See that nice, normal-looking foot on the right? See how the one on the left looks as if it has been stung by an entire hive of bees?
Thankfully I was not stung, but I did nearly break my foot. This was somewhere around the first or second week of July, and even now the top of my foot is still a little sensitive. I was rushing out to meet some friends on a wet evening and slipped on my wooden steps, dragging my poor foot underneath me the whole way down. It really is a wonder I could walk at all. So, as you can imagine, there was no running or any sort of physical activity for a few weeks. Even swimming hurt. Talk about a total letdown. The reason I decided to pick up running in the first place was to try to lose weight and keep it off, and here I was injured and unable to do anything, much less run.
Once the swelling and pain went down enough that I felt brave enough to try on my tennis shoes, I decided to start training again. This time I found some podcasts to help me with the C25K, and it has made a real difference. I had already been back into running for a couple of weeks, so I started with week 5 (C25K is a 9-week program). The guy who did these podcasts does a great job, letting you know when to run and when to walk, and the music is upbeat techno-esque music that is a good tempo for running. Admittedly, I miss my music, but I can return to it once my training is over. I'm now about to start week 7 (I repeated weeks 5 and 6), and I ran 25 minutes straight for the first time since before my injury yesterday. Yippee!
As for WellsFest, I did participate, but I did not run. I decided I would walk, and walk as fast as I could. I was so incredibly sore afterward, but my time was not bad! I walked at a pace of 13:31 per mile which I think is pretty good considering I probably run slower than that right now. One of my friends said, "Why don't you just focus on speedwalking?" But that kind of hurt my feelings because I really do want to run, and I enjoy running. It just doesn't sound the same to say, "I'm going to go for a speedwalk." No. Unless I become impaired to a point where I can't run, I want to try. I am painfully slow now, I know that. But I am also still overweight and still training. So I hope over the next year I can really work on my speed. I am going to run my next 5K in a couple of weeks, and I already know I may do more walking than I want to, but that is ok. At the very least, I'm getting off my ass, and that is a huge accomplishment!
I am going to end this post here and start a new one because this is getting incredibly long! Stay tuned for #3.
I feel terrible for leaving you hanging back in June, but since then I suppose life has just gotten totally out of hand, plus I have had some writing-for-money to do, and that leaves very little time for writing-for-the-hell-of-it.
Since we last met, I have visited Portland, Oregon, ran my first 5K, played guitar and sang at the same time in front of people at Chick Ball, hurt myself, read many books, went to the beach with a 2 year old, experienced some major changes at work, including the loss of a dear friend. Here in order, are some highlights and not-so-great things from the 2nd half of my summer:
1. O Portland, my Portland
I am slowly making my way around the country to all the hip/big cities. So far I have been to Boston, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, NOLA, Dallas, Houston, Austin, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Denver, and San Diego. But adding Portland turns my list on its ear. Besides Austin, I’d say Portland is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever visited, and I’d go back in a heartbeat. My friend Leigh, who used to live here in Jacktown, moved to Portland about a year ago and had been begging me to come visit ever since. I combined this trip with my Vegas trip, so once our conference was done, I hopped a plane to Portland and was there in no time. The downside of the trip was that I had a cold that I think I got from the dry Vegas air, but otherwise we had a great time. We did have some rain the first full day I was there, which Leigh swore was uncommon by this time of year, but I was not so sure. I had purposely planned to visit in the summer so as to avoid the rainy season. But we just laughed it off and kept going.
We had been doing some shopping and had lunch at the Grilled Cheese Grill, which is a grilled cheese restaurant where you can eat your lunch on a converted school bus. It was sooo delicious, and so awesome. Portland is full of quirky restaurants and foodie havens, particularly little food carts all over the place and lots of organic, locally grown goodness. I had what might have been the best zucchini bread I’ve ever tasted at a coffee shop. And I bought some Dave’s Killer Bread at the farmer’s market on Saturday, which was really some of the best bread I’ve ever had. Leigh joked that her sister had the same remarks about the food in Portland, but it’s true – food just tastes better there. Sure, we have delicious food here in the South, too, but I didn’t eat anything bad while I was in P-town for sure.
Probably the most fun night was when we went to an open house for a new dance troupe that had just acquired a cool warehouse for their practice space. The troupe did some dancing for us and it reminded me of Cirque du Soleil – there was free booze at this event, and after several drinks we were allowed to try out some of the props that the dancers use. Probably not the best idea, but it was a great time! After that, we went to see Viva Voce at a place called the Wonder Ballroom, and they were fantastic. One of my new favorite bands for 2009. THEN, to top the whole night off, and because we were all pretty drunk, we stopped at Voo Doo Donuts for some of the yummiest treats I’ve ever had. I am still thinking about that chocolate-covered, raspberry-filled voodoo man.
Portland is beautiful and artsy, liberal and green – I could totally live there in another phase of my life. It was hard to come back to the Bible Belt, back to the 120-degree heat (we slept with the windows open every night during my visit), but while I was in Vegas and PDX, Jubilee JAM happened here, among other things, and I really missed home as I read everyone’s updates on Facebook. So ultimately, Mississippi is home, and while it’s easy to be yourself in Portland because it’s so accepting and embracing of different types of people, it’s also really hard to stand out. I expressed this thought to Leigh after being there for a couple of days – I realized that a “preppy” in an oxford shirt and khakis would probably stand out more than anyone else in Portland. Here in Jackson, we have breathing room for all of our weirdos, and I kind of like that.
2. Can't I just get a sticker that says, "3.2"?
So before I became a runner (which I still don't feel like I'm qualified to say), I kept seeing these "13.1" and "26.2" stickers on the back of people's vehicles and wondered WTF was up? Between the BF and I we finally figured out it was the length of half- and full marathons, and these were people who have completed one or many. Good for them! Seriously, now that I have started running I totally admire anyone who can run that long and not because a large animal is chasing them.
That being said, I don't know whether or not I will ever join their ranks. I ran my first 5K on June 27 of this year, at the Tomato Festival in my hometown of Crystal Springs. After kind of half-ass training with the Couch-to-5K program (I started out with C25K, then just sorta took off on my own until I was running 30 minutes or so straight.), I ran 3 miles a couple of times before the 5K, and I thought I was ready. But that first 5K totally kicked my ass. Not to make excuses, and yes I did finish and NO I was not the very last runner, but there were a few factors weighing against me. First, it was hot as hell, and that is no lie. We were experiencing a major heatwave, so that even at 8am it was already 90+ degrees with a heat index of a billion. Second, whoever designed the Tomato Fest route must be a glutton for punishment, or at least they like to watch other people suffer. The longest stretch of the route was uphill both ways (no lie) on black pavement in the broad sunlight. I thought I was going to stroke out. Third, I was recovering from my desert cold, and still had chest congestion, which did not help my breathing. And Fourth, because I had been sick and out of town and whatnot, I had not been able to train as much in the days leading up to the race.
So, wahh wahh poor me. At least I did it, and rather than give up on running all together, I decided to continue my training and not do any more races until the weather cooled off. I knew that WellsFest would be at the end of September, so I made that my goal.
Then, a couple weeks later, this happened:
See that nice, normal-looking foot on the right? See how the one on the left looks as if it has been stung by an entire hive of bees?
Thankfully I was not stung, but I did nearly break my foot. This was somewhere around the first or second week of July, and even now the top of my foot is still a little sensitive. I was rushing out to meet some friends on a wet evening and slipped on my wooden steps, dragging my poor foot underneath me the whole way down. It really is a wonder I could walk at all. So, as you can imagine, there was no running or any sort of physical activity for a few weeks. Even swimming hurt. Talk about a total letdown. The reason I decided to pick up running in the first place was to try to lose weight and keep it off, and here I was injured and unable to do anything, much less run.
Once the swelling and pain went down enough that I felt brave enough to try on my tennis shoes, I decided to start training again. This time I found some podcasts to help me with the C25K, and it has made a real difference. I had already been back into running for a couple of weeks, so I started with week 5 (C25K is a 9-week program). The guy who did these podcasts does a great job, letting you know when to run and when to walk, and the music is upbeat techno-esque music that is a good tempo for running. Admittedly, I miss my music, but I can return to it once my training is over. I'm now about to start week 7 (I repeated weeks 5 and 6), and I ran 25 minutes straight for the first time since before my injury yesterday. Yippee!
As for WellsFest, I did participate, but I did not run. I decided I would walk, and walk as fast as I could. I was so incredibly sore afterward, but my time was not bad! I walked at a pace of 13:31 per mile which I think is pretty good considering I probably run slower than that right now. One of my friends said, "Why don't you just focus on speedwalking?" But that kind of hurt my feelings because I really do want to run, and I enjoy running. It just doesn't sound the same to say, "I'm going to go for a speedwalk." No. Unless I become impaired to a point where I can't run, I want to try. I am painfully slow now, I know that. But I am also still overweight and still training. So I hope over the next year I can really work on my speed. I am going to run my next 5K in a couple of weeks, and I already know I may do more walking than I want to, but that is ok. At the very least, I'm getting off my ass, and that is a huge accomplishment!
I am going to end this post here and start a new one because this is getting incredibly long! Stay tuned for #3.
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